Outfits Of The Yesterdays (Colorful Cravings)

♫: Paddling Out - Miike Snow

Colorado finally had a huge dose of snow a few days ago, with well over 19 inches in our neck of the woods turning everything a blinding, bleached-white. 

We need some color, hm?

 

 (flowers on our coffee table)

 

 (a back-ordered christmas gift from my in-laws finally arrived--thanks guys!)

 

(a contrasting clutch by diane von furstenberg, sweeeeet.)

 

(a valentine's day wreath)

 (a girl can never have too many belts, ya hear?)

 

(a pretty pop-up)

 

(a toasty-warm sunspot for Kitty Smart Cookie)

(spring polish in the winter snow)

(woof.)

Coat: Old Navy (similar by Calvin Klein, on sale) (similar here) (similar here)

Blouse: J Crew (similar here) (similar here) (similar here)

Skirt: Zara (similar by Splendid) (similar here) (& at j crew in "warm jade")

Belt: J Crew (similar here)

Collar Choker Necklace: Ann Taylor (similar here)

Bag: Tory Burch 797  Clutch (similar here) (similar here) (similar at DSW for under $50)

Shoes: J Crew Valentina Pumps in Coral (similar here) (similar here) (can still be found on ebay, too)

Nail Polish: Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in June - Limited Edition (buy it here)

Jacket: Tibi, old (similar here) (similar here for $99) (similar at Forever21)

Blouse: GAP, old (similar at J Crew in "sand dune") (similar here under $100)

Skirt: J Crew Factory (similar here) (similar here for under $50)

Teal belt: Target, old (similar at Topshop)

Necklace: Patina (similar for under $15)

Scarf: ASOS (similar here) (similar here)

Bag: Diane Von Furstenberg Tonda Polka-Dot Minaudiere (buy it here) (similar on Etsy)

Booties: Christian Dior Serpent Booties, old (similar by Cole Haan) (similar by Lanvin)

Nail Polish: Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in June - Limited Edition (buy it here)

Outfits Of The Yesterdays (Winter Whites, Prints, and Pumps)

 ♫: Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You - Gotye

I left Sioux Falls, South Dakota one really cold, windy day in December of 2002. I still remember following the drifting U-Haul trailer pulled behind my parent's van, swinging in the wind on I-90 and splashing cold ice pellets of snow back at me as it went. I was full of feelings of joy and wonder and excitement and, and, and.   

And fear.  

Fear feels a lot like the stinging, cold bitterness of a South Dakota winter, I discovered on that one-way trip. It has no taste, smell, or even sound really; yet you still somehow know it's there. It freaking hurts your nose all of your body parts nonetheless, it numbs.

I had spent my entire life in Sioux Falls; my entire life in the exact same small house save for a quick stay on a concrete-bench-cleverly-disguised-as-a-cheap-canvas-sofa-from-IKEA in my sister's apartment right before I moved. My parents had sold that house, you see, sold 20 years worth of memories in mere minutes to a neighbor as soon as the FOR SALE sign had hit the lawn on a late summer day. He was a big, tan burly man with a black beard, a quiet voice, a small white maltese, a loud motorcycle, and a yippy-yappy red-headed wife.

"YOU'VE MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL!" I had heard him yell at his wife one day, several years prior. This was followed by a violent slam of the door as he stomped outside, holding the maltese. It is hard to look adequately angry when holding a small, fuzzy dog; it was the first time that I had ever heard him speak.

"We've always liked your house." he said softly that day in September of 2002, emphasized with a quick shrug as he pointed to the FOR SALE sign. He was still holding the maltese, had it wedged under his armpit in its usual spot, and I wasn't quite sure if he was speaking for him and his wife or for him and the dog. I will never know; it was both the second and the last time that I had ever heard him speak.

"Well. I guess I can't really charge you much in realtor fees for...this." the realtor said to my parents, followed with a nervous laugh.

So we packed our bags, had a quick wedding for my sister in the garden my parents spent 20 years carefully constructing (which is still there just as we left it, by the way--the pond, the gazebo, and the row of colorful birdhouses my dad built), and that was it. We left.

"Ah, so. Um. Where...are you going to go?" my mom then asked awkwardly, giving me a side-eye. It was a pretty excellent question.

"Colorado." I finally told her a few weeks later. Also awkwardly, but it was a pretty excellent answer.

Which is how I ended up on I-90 in that December of '02, 21-years old and scared out of my mind, trying desperately not to show it. 21-year olds aren't supposed to be scared, after all; they are supposed to be daft and foolhardy and brave. Even in moments of complete discomposure--I had been in enough bars, attended enough college parties, and seen enough MTV's Real World at that point in my life to know it.

But I was driving towards a new city, driving towards (perhaps) a new life. It isn't every day that a young girl does this, you know--makes a move! Does something nervy. Packs her bags, leaves her lifelong friends and family, and moves to a big city!

A city with opportunity!  A city with adventure! A city that is pretty much just like her old one except a bit bigger, and not quite so flat (mountains blah blah blah), has a longer wait to get into the Olive Garden on a Friday night, and, according to Facebook, is also home to just about half of her graduating class.

(Brrrrrrave!)

But while Denver might have a lot of cozy Midwesternisms about it, it has some important differences too: better restaurants, better shopping, better skiing (sorry Great Bear), bona fide state income taxes (ouch!), sterile Targets that boastfully deem themselves 'super', and the most important thing of all: culture. 

Culture that goes beyond corn fields, churches, legalized video lottery, and arguing over which way a naked David statue should face on a busy downtown street. Culture like the DAM (YSL in March!). Culture like Adele Arakawa's never-changing hairdo (I bumped into it her on a flight last year and it's just as amazing in person). Culture like the fun hippies of Boulder, culture like toasty-hot summer shows at Red Rocks, culture like being stuck on I-70 near Georgetown with the rest of the entire state on a snowy Sunday in January, beep-beep-beep-beep-beep.

And culture like BRING IT ON: THE MUSICAL, oh yesss. Fabulous, fabulous culture.

So this is what I wore last Friday, first to a super tasty dinner at The Capital Grille and then while being surrounded by shrieking 10-year old girls at the DCPA--an easy take on winter whites.

(My apologies for these looking a lil' odd - it was cloudy out, so I had to throw on some flash!)

Coat: J Crew Townhouse Trench in Sea Salt (buy it here) (similar here) (style for spring here)

Blouse: Zara (buy it here) (another option at ASOS) (similar here)

Belt: J Crew, old (similar here in "soft pink")

Pants: Madewell, old (similar here) (similar here) (similar here)

Rosegold Bangles: Seasonal Whispers Crystal & Metal Bracelets in Rosegold (buy them here) (similar by Vince Camuto) (similar under $20)

Watch: Michael Kors Oversized Watch in Rosegold (buy it here) (similar for $195) (similar for $115)

Shoes: J Crew Mona Pumps in Pale Peacock (buy them here) (similar here + take 20% off w/ code "NEWYOU")

Bag: Chloe Marcie Crossbody in 'bone', old (similar here) (similar by Fossil) (similar by Michael Kors)

And some fun with prints:

Dress: Forever 21, old (similar here) (similar here) (similar here) (and a more subdued option at ASOS)
Belt: Forever 21, old (similar at Ann Taylor)
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik Uliepe (similar here) (similar for under $25)
Bag: Chloe Paraty in Rosewood (similar here) (similar here) (similar by Miu Miu) 

And I finally added a pair of 'basic' black pumps to my artillery, hoorah:

Coat: Old Navy (similar here) (similar here for under $50)
Sweater: Madewell, old (similar here) (and at F21)
Pants: Urban Outfitters (buy them here) (a non-cord option here)
Belt: The Limited, old (similar at Ann Taylor) (similar at ASOS)
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Piou Piou Patent Pumps (buy them here) (similar at Ann Taylor)
Bag: Reed Krakoff Inside Out Satchel, old (similar here) (similar here) (similar at DSW)

Happy Holidays (Outfit Of The Friday + Photo Collage Time!)

Merry Christmas, you guys!  Did ya get anything good? ♥

Christmas for us was fairly low-key and comfy this year. We celebrated with Husband's side of the family and dined on a huge feast of goodies which included turkey, baked mac & cheese, bread with garlic cilantro butter, bacon brown sugar ice cream, lemon-basil cherry pie, garlic mashed potatoes, some sort of sweet potato soup, and 'mystery myan cookies'--which looked all enticing and chocolatey and sweet on the outside but inside had a mean, vicious blast of pepper. Ow.

Husband's brother did almost all of the cooking, with the aid of his 13-year old daughter (my niece), and oh my goodness. It was insane. Since I know that they also sometimes read my blog: it was so good, you guys!  And our offer still stands on having ya'll over to our place next year for frozen chicken nuggets (we'll even be festive and do dinosaur shaped) and Husband's Famous As Long As Chloe Doesn't Sneakily Eat All Of The Ice Cream First Like She Always Does Chocolate Malts™.

(I might even re-tell the one awkward Chuck Norris joke I know too, if you're lucky, but you'll just have to wait and see! A good hostess never gives her secrets away EVEN IF they include dressing a chihuahua up to look like Christopher Walken playing a Drunk Mall Santa Claus for pure entertainment, ahem.)

Moving on. Below is a little photo montage of some pictures that I recently snapped. Some are old outfits I have yet to post, and others I took while Husband and I were bumming around at home this weekend.  You can click on any picture below to get a larger/full snapshot, too! I'm getting fancy:

1. A funny little sign courtesy of my parents.

2. Christmas tree!

3. Nothing gets between a chihuahua and her stogie, er, chewie stick.

4. Happiness is a warm sunspot and a chewie.

5.Well, someone likes her Christmas gift.

6. A few pretty, sparkly hostess gifts to give!

7. A very pretty new gray lace skirt courtesy of H&M (retails for $35) pairs well with hot pink + camel shoes.

8. A festive manicure.

9. I miss warm weather days.

10. This doormat makes me laugh every time.

11. On my way to Martha Stewart-ing  the shiznit out of my wrappings (wrapping gifts is one of my favorite things to do!)

12. Some of the great gifties from my side of the family.

13. Somebody has a favorite human.

14. Hi-five, go us!

I took the holiday pictures above mostly to share with my family, as we were separated by 300 to 600 miles this Christmas....but also for things like the super entertaining snippet of Facebook commentary below that thus ensued:

So clearly my gramma has been accidentally eating bunny-shaped dog biscuits thinking they're Christmas cookies again (just kidding gramma!) (love you!) (even if I did totally catch you accidentally doing that one year!) and I just bet you can't guess which one is my dad. This little crab-apple doesn't fall far from her tree; I love bunny-shaped dog biscuits my family and missed having them around this year. ♥
 

And last but certainly not least, here's a quick outfit. I wore this out Friday for a wild & crazy date night in downtown Denver. I love a good, slightly puffy skirt and so when I saw this one by Full Circle it was super-love at first sight. Better yet? It's made out of a really heavy fabric, meaning no having to worry about it blowing up in the winter wind. It also has pockets, as all good skirts should, and the wider waistband adds just the right shape to keep it slimming and flattering on the wearer. It does run extremely small, though, so if you're interested size up! I usually wear a size 2 in pants and I'm wearing a US6 below--I couldn't even get the US4 zipped up.

I also snapped these pictures as we were racing out the door and into the sad, murky darkness of a wintery 4:30pm, so I apologize that they look a little off.  It's bettuh than nothin':

Jacket (not pictured): Rachel Zoe Military Jacket (buy it here) (similar here + take 50% off) (similar at Forever 21) 
Top: Isabel Lu Lace Top (similar here) (similar by Tibi) (similar at ASOS) (similar at Free People) (similar at Forever 21 + ships for free, 12/26 only)

Skirt: Full Circle Skirt (buy it here, on sale!) (similar here for $34.99 ) (and a version in a longer length, too)

Watch: Michael Michael Kors Oversized watch in Rosegold (buy it here) (similar for $195) (similar for $115)
Rosegold Bangles: Seasonal Whispers Crystal & Metal Bracelets in Rosegold (buy them at Nordstrom)

Shoes: Christian Louboutin Neo Mars Kitten Heels (buy them here) (and an option from Kate Spade, too)

Bag: Lanvin Happy Mini Pop in Gold Python (buy it here) (similar here) (similar under $200) (similar under $100)

♫: Gold On The Ceiling - The Black Keys

Outfits Of The Days (A Little Bit Old, A Little Bit New)

Just a quick update for today! I am working on a longer post for either tomorrow or Thursday, so stay tuned...if you dare. ;) ❤

I am still playing catch-up from over the past few months, so here is an outfit I snapped back on a cloudy day in September before we moved all of our furniture back. This outfit was a bit of a change for me, as most of you will likely notice, in that I was dressed in black almost from head-to-toe. 

It was a fun change! A monotone outfit doesn't need to be a boring outfit, and I found it a good challenge to mix patent + faux fur + cotton + taffeta with an assortment of gold drippings to add some interest:

Vest: Jennifer Lopez for Kohls (buy it here) (similar here for $42) (similar here at F21) (similar at UO + take 10% off with code "TOPARTY")

Top: Bailey 44 Faux-Shrug Top, NLA (similar here at Ann Taylor) (similar here at Anthropologie)

Skirt: J Crew Marvelle Mini Bell Skirt, NLA (similar here) (and here)  (similar here at F21)

Shoes: Christian Louboutin Mater Claude (buy them here) (similar here for $49.95) (similar here at Target)

Tassel Necklace: Topshop, NLA (similar here)

Long Necklace: Ann Taylor, NLA (similar here) (similar here) (gorgeous option here) (a fun option for $15.99)

Five stone necklace: J Crew, NLA (similar here) (similar at ASOS for $25)

Bag: Chanel Crackled Patent Camel Classic Flap (similar here) (and here by DKNY) (and here for under $100)

And here we are, back to a little bit of Colorado-style. Choker necklaces are a new-ish trend that has been popping up everywhere recently, and while these sleek and elegant necklaces look great under things like simple silk blouses I really like layering them with longer necklaces, too.

In fact, a male friend remarked last week (upon seeing me) that I wear a lot of jewelry. I asked if it was too much and his only answer was, "It's a lot...but for you? Nah."

Oh GOOD.  Whew!  'Cuz I would still wear all this jewelry (no matter how he answered) anyway, a haaaa:

Hat: GAP (buy it here) (similar here for $7.99)

Blouse: Banana Republic, NLA (similar here) (similar here)

Jeans: J Brand Kiki Flares in Lotus (buy them here, on sale) (similar here at Piperlime + take 20% off thru 11/16 with code "TREAT") (similar here, too!)

Fur Scarf: H&M (similar here) (similar here at ASOS)

Long Necklace: J Crew Pluma Necklace (buy a Factory version here)

Collar Necklace: Ann Taylor, NLA (similar by Dannijo) (under $30 at ASOS)

Watch: Michael Kors Rosegold Large Runway Watch (buy it here)  (similar here for $135)

Jeweled Bracelet: J Crew, NLA (similar here at LOFT) (love this at Zappos, too)

Cuff Bracelet: GAP, NLA (similar here)

Shoes: Elizabeth and James Mae (buy them here + take 20% off thru 11/16 with code "TREAT") (similar here for $70)

Bag: Lanvin Happy Mini Pop in Metallic Python (buy it here) (similar here) (similar here for under $50)